First Energy Pays Millions in Lighting Rebate Incentives to Cleveland and Akron Area Businesses

January 3, 2012 – Hudson, OH – Companies and business owners across the country are going “green” in a whole new way by executing strategic energy reduction initiatives.  These initiatives are benefiting companies’ profit margins as well as the environment.  Throughout northeast Ohio, First Energy has issued millions of dollars in lighting rebate incentives to local businesses. And companies that have created sustainable environments are reducing carbon emissions.

Customers of Hudson-based ROI Energy have saved an estimated $1.2 million this year alone with lighting retrofits.  Though future energy rates cannot be determined, ROI Energy’s clients can anticipate a savings of $12 million over the next ten years.

ROI Energy’s customers reduced carbon emissions in excess of 7,800 tons annually, which is equal to 1,422 cars taken off the road or 880,000 gallons of gasoline saved.

“The ability to reduce lighting energy costs by 50% in today’s economy while increasing light levels are the biggest benefits. Lucrative rebate incentive dollars paid directly to business and building owners along with the ability to deduct their entire energy reduction project the first year, are icing on the cake,” notes Bob Taussig, President of ROI Energy.  “Presenting a turn-key energy savings package with an excellent return on investment to top management makes my job extremely rewarding.”

The “green” movement and taking steps to create sustainability is an important consideration for corporations and their customers.  ROI Energy reports their lighting retrofit installations are up over 300% due to Illuminating Company and Ohio Edison lighting rebate incentives. First Energy provided millions of dollars directly to businesses who agreed to have lighting retrofit projects performed in 2011, in their effort to reduce energy use.

“Without exception, our customers with warehouses and manufacturing facilities were thrilled with the increase in light levels realized from their new, high bay T5 and T8 fixtures, at the same time reducing their energy costs by over 50% year after year, helping them to remain competitive,” comments Taussig.

ROI Energy Solutions, Inc. of Hudson specializes in providing turnkey lighting retrofit projects for Ohio area factories, warehouses and distribution centers.  Their specialty is retrofitting (converting) industrial, 400 watt metal halide high bay lighting to energy efficient T-5 and T-8 high bay fixtures, typically providing twice the light using half the energy. More importantly, projects are installed without disrupting their customer’s production.

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Ban on Incandescent Bulbs Lifted

The incandescent light bulb: a revolutionary invention that some have recently called outdated and inefficient. Congress even went so far in 2007 as to pass legislation that would have banned the production and sales of the incandescent bulb in America, starting in the coming year.

Box of Incandescent Bulbs

Incandescent Bulbs: easy on the eyes, bad on greenhouse gas emissions.

With a last minute amendment, the ban was reversed. Congress removed the funding from the light bulb ban, making it impossible for the Department of Energy to enforce. This was the move of conservatives and was a cause championed by GOP primary candidate Michele Bachmann, who introduced the changes in the House.

This law would have been one among many in the recent legislative attempts to monitor greenhouse gas emissions and control the energy use in America.

I’ve long been a fan of the soft golden glow that comes from an incandescent bulb, but experts and many civilians agree: the time has come to find better alternatives. Opponents of the ban claim that efficient bulbs are dimmer and more expensive. While these claims may have a seed of truth (yes, early efficient bulbs had an ugly bluish glow and took minutes to ‘warm up’ before brightening a room and the retail cost of a bulb is higher) the light bulb manufacturing industry is more than ready to produce a satisfactory—nay, superior—product that isn’t incandescent.

Those who have already started using efficient light bulbs know that the cost of the bulb is almost immediately offset by the fact that the energy bills are much, much, lower. Additionally, innovations have created a new fleet of efficient bulbs that are available in almost any imaginable size, shape, color and brightness. You can get efficient bulbs that look almost exactly like incandescent bulbs but can lower your electric bills dramatically.

And the truth is, bulb manufacturers were geared up for this change. In the past few years, they’ve been busy getting their assembly lines ready for all efficient bulb production. “The industry has moved on,” said Larry Lauck, a spokesman for the American Lighting Association told ABC News. He also said that the industry has retooled their lines and is ready for more modern production.

Joseph Higbee, a spokesman for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association also told ABC News that the industry isn’t going to go back on the switch to efficient bulb production. Factories are ready to produce entire lines of efficient, consumer-friendly bulbs, and that plan isn’t going to disappear overnight.

So, whether the ban is funded or not, it looks like America will be making a change for the greener. Sorry, Bachmann.